I was pleased to receive an email from Derek Singleton last night stating that several of our ConstructionKnowledge phone apps had been selected for his list of Best Andorid Apps for Construction Management. The apps have been selling well and getting good reviews, so it’s nice to see more affirmation. Check out his list and see which apps may help you become more productive.

As I read more posts from their Software Advice site, I started thinking about the likely trend of tablet computers becoming the tool of choice for construction PMs and supervisors.  Here’s a great little video that gives a sense of the coming productivity improvements.

We’re currently building a bunch of apartment buildings for a brilliant 70 year old Mennonite customer who sends me quick decisions and updates from his iPad. I need to sit down with him and have him show  me how he uses this tool. Then I need to start researching how tablet computers could help us build better. I’ll be sure to share what I learn with you. If you have any input, please leave a comment below.

This trend for tablet computers on the jobsite will be huge. Remember: great advantages come from being at the right point on the trend line. Think about where you want to be.

My previous two posts about technology competence were:

#1: BET ON GOOGLE

#2: USE A SMART PHONE

For today’s post, I’ll leave the big ideas and focus on one mundane topic.

#3: WIN THE BATTERY WAR

The batteries for smart phones, laptops and other electronic devices suck. We lose all our new found productivity gains when our batteries crap out in the middle of an important task. In fact, we’re sometimes worse off than BT (before technology).

So how do we win the battery war? Buy lots of chargers for lots of locations. Be able to easily charge in your home, your car and your office. Compared to the lost productivity, chargers are cheap so buy them and use them.

In your vehicle, consider an inverter that changes the 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC. These handy little devices allow you to charge all sorts of things by using a normal wall outlet charger, so you won’t need the special car chargers. Also, an outlet strip will allow you to charge several devices at the same time. The tangle of wires isn’t pretty, but it’s better than having to lamely say, “Sorry, gotta go, my cell phone’s dying.”

If you’re looking for more ideas, the New York Times did a 10 Ways to Get the Most Out of Technology that was a worthwhile challenge. I sent it to my son Lex and he proudly responded that he already did all the items. Don’t you hate this Net Generation?